Gearing for hektograph machines



Aug. 2, 1932. .1 P. PEDERSON GEARING FOR HEKTOGRAPH MACHINES Filed March 10, 1930 Patented Aug. 2, 1932 UNETE STATES PATENT OFFICE JOHN'P. PEDERSON, OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS, ASSIGNOR TO DITTO, INCORPORATED, OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS, A CORPORATION OF WEST VIRGINIA GEARING FOR HEKTOGRAPI-I MACHINES Application filed March 10, 1930. Serial No. 434,575.

I I times to present a clean portion of the gelatine matrix so that a new impression can be imparted thereto. As the matrix 18 wound upon spindles ournaled at each end of the machine it becomes necessary to rotate. the

spindles in that particular direction to wind the matrix onto the spindle as desired. To this end an object of the invention is to provide an improved'construction adapted for 0 manual operation for imparting the desired rotation tothe spindles.

Another object is to provide an improved gear drive for hektograph machines for connecting the spindles with each other which will be equipped with a novel clutch construction and capable of being locked in any position desired. This locking construction serves to hold the spindles in set relation and thus maintains the matrix in stretched posi- 0 tion over the platen.

Yet another object is to provide a novel clutch construction for engaging either wheel of a set located on the same shaft, the particular engagement depending on the rotation given the shaft through a manually actuated handle.

With these and various other objects inview, the invention may consist of certain novel features of construction and operation,

1 as will be more fully described and particularly pointed out in the specification, drawing and claims appended hereto.

In the drawing, which illustrates an embodiment of the device and whereinlike refer- 45 e'nce characters are used to designate like prising the presentinvention;

Figure 2 is a sectional View taken substantially along line 22 of Figure l;

Figure 3 is a perspective view of the slidable clutch member, showing the same mounted upon its operating shaft;

Figure 4 is a perspective view of the lock ing mechanism showing the pawls in engagement with the ratchet wheels; and

Figure 5 is a sectional view taken substanigially through the center of the clutch mem- The improved gear drive for the spindles is shown as applied to the usual form of hektograph machine comprising the side frames 10 spaced from each other and held in position by tie rods 11. 'A flat platen 12 is supported from the upper portion of the frames and has the usual gelatine matrix or band 13 supported thereon. The band is wound upon spindles 14 and 15 journaled inthe side frames 12 at each end thereof, the spindles being adapted to be rotated in the direction desired by the constructionto be hereinafter described. It is of course'understood that the machine shown is adapted to be equipped with the usual platen carriage and roller necessary for impressing the blank sheets upon the gelatine, the parts being omitted for the sake of clearness as they have no direct bearing on the present invention.

One of the side frames 10 is formed with a gear housing 16 which is adapted to be closed by a plate 1? secured thereto by screws 18. A shaft 19 having a wheel 20 fitted thereon is journaled within an opening provided in the housing 16. shaft opposite the wheel is journaled in the plate 17 by means of a roller bearing 21. Upon this shaft which is adapted to be rotated by a handle 22 is loosely fitted, so as to The end of the have rotation independent of the shaft, a

worm gear 23 which has meshing engagement with a similar gear 24 fitted to a shaft 25 disposed at right angles to the shaft 19. The shaft 25 is journaled at its end adjacent the gear 24 in the housing 16 and at its opposite end in the housing 26, which housings are joined by a tubular portion 27. Within this tubular portion the shaft 25 extends longitudinally of the frame of the machine. The .1 a

rear spindle 15 is provided with a worm gear 28 fitted upon its end within the housing 26 which gear has meshing engagement with a like gear 29 fitted or keyed to the shaft 25. It is thus seen that when the worm gear 23 is rotated through actuation of the shaft 19 rotation is imparted to gear 24, shaft 25, and gears 29 and 28 to the rear spindle 15 which serves to wind upon the spindle or unwind therefrom the gelatine band 13 as the case may be.

For rotating the front spindle 14 also through actuation of the shaft 19 a hub portion 30 is provided journaled within roller bearings 21 and fitted upon the end of the shaft 19. The spindle 14 by means of a slot in the hub portion 30 can be removed from the frame so as to allow the substitution of a renovated gelatine roll. The portion 30 forms the hub of a wheel 31provided with inwardly extending lugs 32 and formed with ratchet teeth 33 on its periphery. DJO to the hub '30 the wheel 31 is loosely mounted upon the. extreme end of shaft 19 and journaled within the bearing 21 on plate 17. from the wheel 31 and also mounted on shaft 19 is a similar wheel 34 provided with in wardly extending lugs as shown in Figure 4 and also having formed on its periphery ratchet teeth 36. The wheel 34 is further prox ided with a hub J ortion which takes the form of a worm gear 23 previously described. The gear and wheel are thus integral w each other as is also the hub 30 and wheel 31.

Located on the shaft 19 centrally of the wheels 31 and is a clutch member 38 having a weighted portion 39 on its bottom side and provided with a diagonally disposed slot 40. A pin 41 is fixedly secured centrally of the shaft 19 and is adapted to extend within the slot 40. he clutch 38 is loosely mounted by means of the hub member 42 so that due to the pin and diagonal slot connection between shaft 19 and clutch the latter has a limited slidable movement upon the portion 42 as indicated in Figure 3 where the member is shown located in its extreme right hand position of movement. The weighted portion 39 serves to hold the clutch from rotation and merely by actuation of the shaft 19 the member 38 can be located in its extreme right hand or left hand position, depending on the direction of rotation given to the shaft.

The sides of the clutch member 38 formed into outwardly extending lugs adapted to engage lugs 32 and 35 on the ratchet wheels 31 and 34 respectively to rotate the spindles 14 or 15 and it is only necessary to rotate the wheel 20 through handle 22 in the desired direction which will cause the clutch 38 to assume one of its extreme positions on shaft 19 and engage one of the ratchet wheels to impart rotation to the spindle desired. Assuming the shaft 19 to be rotated in a clockwise direction the member Spaced are 44 38 will be forced towards the right as viewed in Figure 2 causing the lugs 44 to engage the lugs 32 on ratchet wheel 31 thus imparting rotation to spindle 14 through hub 30. On counter clockwise movement being given to shaft 19 ratchet wheel 34 will be engaged and through gear 23 and shaft 25 rotation will be given to the rear spindle 15. While the spindle is thus being driven the front spindle 14 is free to rotate independent of the shaft 19. This is also the case with spin dle 15 when the front spindle is being driven. The construction thus allows the gelatine band to unwind from one spindle while being wound upon the other.

it is often desirable to lock the spindles in set position after a portion of the gelatin has been exposed upon the flat platen, and for this purpose a locking arrangement is provided comprising a shaft 45 located in the upper part of "the housing 16 and having rotatably mounted thereon two spaced pawls 4'6 and 47 held in position by spring 48. A lever 50 also mounted in the housing 16 serves to actuate depending stubs 51 and 52 located over the pawls which, when in operative position, raise the pawls against the actuation of the spring 48 from engagement with the ratchet teeth 33 and '36 on the wheels 31 and 34 respectively. This action allows the winding operation of the spindles to proceed. W hen the lever 50 is rotated to inoperative position as in Figure 1 the pawls engage the ratchet wheels, thus locking spindle 14 against rotation in a counter-clockwise direc-- tion, and spindle 15 against rotation in a clockwise direction. It is thus seen that although the spindles are locked only against rotation in one direction, the whole gear driving mechanism is really looked against any possible movement as the spindles 14 and 15 are operatively connected by having the gelatine band 13 wound upon them. This construction is very advantageous in its application to hektograph machines as the gelatine roll, after being wound upon the spindle 14 to expose a clean portion of the band, can then be tightly stretched over thesurface of the platen by locking the rear spindle a ainst rotation and continuing the rotation of spindle 14 until the slackness in the band is taken'up.

It is to be understood that I do not wish to be limited by the exact embodiment of the device shown, which is merely by way of illustration and not limitation, as various and other forms of the device will of course be apparent to those skilled in the art without departing from the spirit of the invention or the scope of the claims.

I claim:

1. In a duplicating machine, in combination with a frame, of a set of spindles journaled in said frame, a shaft adapted for rotation, a racthet wheel journaled on one end of said shaft having connection with one of said spindles, a second wheel journaled on the other end of the shaft having connection with the other spindle, a clutch member located on said shaft between said ratchet wheels, means on said clutch member adapted for engagement with the ratchet wheels, and other means on said shaft for forcing said clutch member into engagement with either of said ratchet wheels depending on the direction of rotation given to said shaft.

2. In a duplicating machine, in combination with a frame, of a set of spindles journaled in said frame, a shaft adapted for rotation, a ratchet wheel ournaled on one end of said shaft having connection with one of said spindles, a second wheel journaled on the other end of the shaft having connection with the other spindle, and means also mounted on said shaft adapted for engagement with said ratchet wheels, said means being adapted to be driven by said shaft, the engagement of the particular ratchet wheel depending upon the direction of rotation given to said shaft.

3. In a duplicating machine, in combination with a frame, of a set of spindles journaled in said frame, a shaft adapted for rotation, a ratchet wheel journaled on one end of said shaft having connection with one of said spindles, a second wheel journaled on the other end of the shaft having connection with the other spindle, and means on said shaft adapted for engagement with said ratchet wheels, the rotation of the shaft in one direction forcing said means into engagement with one ratchet wheel, and the rotation of the shaft in the opposite direction forcing said means into engagement with the other wheel.

4. In a device of the class described, in combination with a set of spindles, of mechanism for rotating said spindles comprising, a shaft, a set of ratchet wheels loosely mounted upon said shaft, one wheel having a hub portion forming a connection with one spindle, the other wheel having a worm gear forming a connection with the other spindle, a clutch member mounted on said shaft and adapted to have engagement with said wheels, a slot in said member, a pin secured to said shaft and extending in said slot, and a handle for rotating said shaft, whereby rotation of said shaft is imparted to said clutch member and in turn to said ratchet wheels.

5. In a duplicating'machine, in combination with a frame, of a set of spindles journa-led in said frame, an operating shaft mounted for rotation to rotate the spindles, a ratchet wheel journaled on one end of the shaft having connection with one of said spindles, a second wheel journaled on the other end of the shaft having connection' with the other spindle, and means for imparting the rotation of the shaft to the wheels including a clutch member mounted for movement on the shaft between the ratchet wheels, and a pin extending through the shaft and engaging slots in the member.

6. In a duplicatin machine, in combination with a frame, 0 a set of spindles journaled in said frame, an operating shaft mounted for rotation to rotate the spindles, a ratchet wheel journaled on one end of the shaft having connection with one of said spindles, a second wheel journaled on the other end of the shaft having connection with the other spindle, a clutch member located on said shaft between the wheels, and a pin extending through the shaft and engaging arcuate slots in the member whereby rotation of the shaft in one direction will cause the member to engage one ratchet wheel and rotation in the opposite direction will cause the member to engage the other wheel.

7 In a duplicating machine, in combination with a frame, of aset of spindles j ournaled in said frame, an operating shaft mounted for rotation to rotate the spindles, a ratchet wheel journaled on one end of the shaft having connection with one of said spindles, a second wheel journaled on the other end of the shaft having connection with the other spindle, a clutch positioned on said shaft for connecting either of said ratchet Wheels with the shaft depending upon the direction of rotation given to the shaft, and a pair of locking pawls for engaging the wheels respectively for locking the spindles in set position.

Signed at Chicago, Illinois, this 3 day of March, 1930.

JOHN P. PEDERSON. 

